CENTER LINE - Network, cable company shut out Buckeye fans

bigjoe
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Oct 29, 2015 at 12:53 PM

What did you do for Labor Day?

While most of us relaxed and enjoyed a day off, many people punched in and did their job. I think a special thanks should go out to all who work 24/7, 365 days a year to protect us policemen, firefighters, doctors, nurses and EMTs.

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I mowed the grass Saturday while listening to the Ohio State football game on my Walkman. I had no choice. The Buckeyes were not on television. Let me repeat that. The Buckeyes were not on television. And they won't be this week when they take on the Akron Zips at noon Saturday.

So far the score is: Big Ten Network 2, OSU fans zip (pun intended).

The unemployment rate in Huron County is more than 8 percent, and the knuckleheads in Columbus are giving away personal information faster than we can give it to them, but the biggest story the last month out of our fine capital has been the "Buckeye Blackout."

The new Big Ten Network was unable to reach agreement with Time Warner Cable so fans here will not get their Buckeye fix until week No. 3. Remember that the next time TWC raises your cable rates.

I remember the day when you were lucky to see your favorite college team on television a couple of times a year. When I was a freshman at Michigan State in the fall of 1975, the Spartans hosted hated Michigan in East Lansing.

It was the only college game on television that day. I knew it was a big game because the Goodyear blimp was there. Now, you can get a college football game almost every day of the week and about a dozen on Saturday.

But go a day around here without the Buckeyes and those are fighting words.

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Speaking of football, here's a couple of random thoughts after two weeks of the high school season:

I'm not a coach, and I didn't sleep at the Holiday Inn Express last night, but anybody who kicks the ball to St. Paul's Joe Grazianni is an idiot. I saw former Norwalk High School standout Mike Stewart over the weekend and we talked a little Trucker football. It was Stewart tabbed "Super Stu" by a young, budding sports editor at the Norwalk Reflector who single-handedly beat Edison with his kick and punt returns when the two schools started playing in the early 1980s. Jim Whittington, then coach at Edison, still admits kicking to Stewart was a big mistake. If I'm playing St. Paul, I'm kicking the ball out of bounds and taking my chances.

The Edison defense has allowed just 39 yards seven to Norwalk and 32 to Monroeville ... On further review, films show the fumble by Norwalk's Kyle Kurtz that set up Huron's winning touchdown was a good call by the officials ... a check of the Firelands Conference standings today show Monroeville as the only team without a victory. Here's a little tip don't count the Eagles out. I remember one time years ago when Tiffin Columbian got all Fs on its nonconference report card losing to Findlay, Fremont and Fostoria then running the table in the Northern Ohio League... Our prayers go out to Western Reserve sophomore Brett Pickens, who broke his femur Friday night. All three of the Pickens boys are, in order of importance, fine gentlemen, students and athletes. Good luck in a speedy recovery.

P.S. check out Fandy.com

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Finally, congratulations again to Norwalk High School volleyball coach Grace Hutchinson on her 500th career victory. My three daughters learned volleyball by watching her teams play. She is to volleyball what Grant Walls and Bob Hart were to football at Norwalk High School.